Tough talk was easy enough, but the problem was that there was currently no way to take revenge on the whales over by Whale Island. To get revenge on whales, he needed at least a whaling ship.
Lorist obviously couldn't rally his sailors to learn from the natives of the Ruins Archipelago. What he needed now was a large whaling vessel. So he headed back to the shipyard, summoned all the master craftsmen, and began discussing how to build a whaling ship.
The three training vessels originally built were only twenty-four meters long, and the returning sailors reported that the giant whale which had crushed the first training ship measured over thirty meters. The whaling ship would therefore need to be at least double the size of the whale to stand any chance against such a leviathan. So Lorist turned his attention to the sailing cruiser warship whose keel had already been laid out according to his own design.
The sailing cruiser warship Lorist had designed measured seventy-five meters in length. Unlike his previous life, the Black Forest had an abundance of giant trees, making it easy to find suitable timber rather than having to splice the keel together from multiple pieces. This saved the shipbuilders a great deal of trouble.
Since they were converting the sailing cruiser into a whaling ship, the watertight compartments would need to be doubled to prevent the ship from sinking after a whale's impact. One craftsman put forward a proposal: add an outer layer of planking twenty centimeters thick over the existing hull, with the two layers connected by long copper nails. Although this would reduce the ship's speed and add weight, the hull would be far sturdier and less likely to crack on impact. Lorist happily adopted the suggestion and rewarded the craftsman with ten gold Fordes.
The conversion plan for turning the cruiser into a whaling ship was finalized quickly under Lorist's generous bounty. But another urgent problem confronted him — it was already November, and the bitter cold of winter was closing in. There was no way to continue shipbuilding in the days of heavy snowfall.
Lorist considered building a massive wooden shed under which the ship could be constructed. But even with blueprints drawn up, it was impossible — a structure of that size simply could not be built with their current level of construction capability. That was when Old Balik had an idea. Behind the shipyard's timber storage clearing, beneath the cliff face, there was an enormous karst cave. If they widened the cave entrance, the hull could be built inside. Then, once spring arrived, they could haul the completed hull out and proceed with the remaining work — stepping the masts and such. In this way, they could finish within a single month.
Lorist went to inspect the cave personally and found it to be remarkably spacious. He immediately decided to adopt Old Balik's suggestion: spend the four winter months building the whaling ship's hull inside the cave. Not just one — two would be built simultaneously. He told Old Balik that manpower was not a concern; he was certain the villagers who spent winter idling at home would gladly take on some seasonal work to earn money. The family would cover all necessary expenses, so long as quality and speed were maintained.
After leaving the shipyard, Lorist led his guard battalion to the Blade Peaks. This time, his destination was the meteorite iron refining base overseen by Master Hyde.
There was a saying — a craftsman must first sharpen his tools if he wishes to do good work. Although the steel crossbows from the war chariots could certainly be mounted on ships to deal with whales — after all, a whale's hide was nothing compared to a magical beast's hide in terms of toughness — whales were enormous creatures, and the crossbow bolts from chariot-mounted crossbows were simply too short. Moreover, Lorist didn't intend to simply kill the whale and call it a day. Every part of a whale was a treasure — the meat, the hide, the fat which could be rendered into whale oil, the finest commodity of all. Even the whale's ribs made perfect material for umbrella frames.
If a super crossbow were mounted on the ship, there was a good chance that while the whale would be killed in one shot, the whaling ship itself wouldn't survive the violent recoil and would crack apart. So this time, Lorist intended to design a ballista specifically for the whaling ship, complete with several hundred meters of cable. The bolt would be harpoon-shaped, and after the whale was killed, the cable attached to the harpoon could be used to tow the carcass back to the dock for butchering…
Master Hyde had assumed Lorist had come regarding the hundred thousand sets of standard-issue equipment ordered by the Fisablen family. He slapped his chest and assured Lorist not to worry — producing eight thousand sets of refined iron armor plates within a month was no problem at all. He only handled the manufacturing of the armor plates themselves; they would then be transported to the weapons production base, where workers would assemble them onto leather armor to complete a full set of standard equipment.
Immediately afterward, Master Hyde took Lorist to see his latest achievement — the improved catapult that Lorist had previously commissioned him to work on. When they arrived, Lorist was stunned. The original design he had drafted was essentially a traction trebuchet — a lever-based catapult that was massive and unwieldy. But what now stood before him was a six-wheeled catapult that replaced the torsion rope mechanism with steel wire springs.
Lorist had originally wanted to design a torsion-powered catapult, but he simply couldn't recall how animal sinew and hair braids needed to be wound to generate the throwing force. In the end, he had reluctantly settled on a lever-based design. He never expected Master Hyde to deliver such a surprise — replacing the torsion ropes with steel wire springs to produce an equally functional catapult.
Master Hyde stroked his goatee with an air of modest pride. "My lord, it was a happy accident," he said.
He pointed toward a row of water-powered forging machines below the waterfall on the far side of the valley. "Previously, resetting the largest hydraulic forging press had always been a headache. We used U-shaped steel clip springs to return it to position, but those clip springs wore out quickly. One time, a clip spring wouldn't fit — the old one had lost all its elasticity, leaving a large gap. So we simply twisted it into a loop and put it back in. To our surprise, it worked again, and lasted several times longer than the original clip spring.
When you commissioned me to improve the catapult, it reminded me of that twisted-loop clip spring. I ran tests and found that this spring made from coiled steel wire worked best. Although now that I think about it, my lord, calling it a 'steel wire spring' is more fitting than 'steel wire clip spring.' I'll use that name from now on."
"My lord, look here…" Master Hyde pointed to a fan-shaped metal plate affixed to the side wall of the catapult. Five straight lines were etched into it, along with several lines of text. "These are the throwing distances we determined through testing. The top line indicates that when the throwing arm is level with this line, the projectile travels one hundred meters. The bottom line represents the maximum range of approximately five hundred meters, though this requires our specially made round stone projectiles. Irregularly shaped stones will affect the range…
My lord, you'll notice this catapult uses a steel-and-wood frame — sturdy and reliable. The chassis below does require six wheels, but that's for the stability needed during firing. We had to increase the base weight accordingly. The catapult moves a bit slower, but its maneuverability and convenience are excellent. Whether on the march or in a fixed position, it can be readied to fire at any moment. And it only needs three men to operate.
One to drive the carriage, one to load the stone projectiles, and one to fire. My lord, you see this iron wheel — after each throw, it's rotated to lower the throwing arm onto the line on the metal plate that corresponds to the desired distance. Then someone places a stone projectile in the iron pouch at the tip of the arm, and with one pull of this lever beside the iron wheel, the stone is launched."
"Master Hyde, you've truly surprised me. You're a genius mechanical designer. Can this catapult now be finalized for mass production?" Lorist asked.
"My lord, I feel this catapult still has two shortcomings. First, the maximum throwing weight is only fifty catties. Second, the durability of the steel wire springs is still less than ideal — they generally need replacement after about a hundred throws. I've tried many methods to increase the strength of these springs, but none have succeeded." Master Hyde volunteered the catapult's weaknesses openly.
"No, Master Hyde, you've done an excellent job. The poor durability of the springs is a materials issue, not a problem with your design. And a maximum throwing weight of fifty catties is already quite impressive. Anything heavier would compromise the catapult's agility and speed. If these are the only two shortcomings, they're hardly worth worrying about. Go ahead and begin mass production — three hundred catapults to start. I'm planning to form a catapult battalion," Lorist said.
"As you wish, my lord. I'll arrange the manufacturing immediately. But my lord, won't you take a look at the improvements I made to the catapult you originally designed?" Master Hyde said.
"Oh, you improved my design as well?" Lorist was curious to see what Master Hyde had done with his original lever-based catapult.
Master Hyde led Lorist to a four-wheeled wagon loaded with various items, all covered by a large waterproof tarp. He called five men over and ordered them to haul the wagon to a nearby clearing and assemble its contents.
Once the tarp was pulled away, rows of rectangular wooden beams and steel fittings were revealed. Lorist understood immediately — this was a modular catapult. Sure enough, within half an hour, a five-meter-tall lever-based catapult stood before Lorist.
"My lord, the only drawback of your original design was that it required time to assemble, and the operators needed training before they could put it together quickly. But its advantages are equally clear — the maximum throwing weight can reach one hundred and fifty catties, and the maximum range exceeds six hundred meters. So I made this catapult modular. That way, even when it needs to be relocated, it can be quickly disassembled, loaded onto wagons, and moved elsewhere," Master Hyde explained.
"Excellent, very well done. With the catapults and the modular catapults you've designed, Master Hyde, I believe no fortress or stronghold will be able to stand in our family's army's way," Lorist praised.
"Here's what I'd like — have ten of these modular catapults built as well. I plan to form a battalion with two hundred catapults and ten modular catapults. Let's call it the Thunderbolt Battalion. Write up a production cost report for both the catapults and the modular catapults and submit it to me. I'll approve the funding right away."
"Thank you, my lord," Master Hyde said.
Schwade, who had been following at Lorist's side taking notes, reminded him, "My lord, do you have a candidate for the Thunderbolt Battalion's commander? And should this battalion be classified as top secret?"
Lorist thought for a moment before answering. "Schwade, write down the order: Transfer Ovikis, commander of the Stone Fortress First Guard Battalion, to serve as commander of the newly formed Thunderbolt Battalion. He is to draw half of the proven family soldiers from the First Guard Battalion into the Thunderbolt Battalion, with remaining vacancies filled by veteran soldiers from other units.
As for the First Guard Battalion's vacancies, they'll be supplemented by the recruits' battalion. Additionally, the Thunderbolt Battalion does not need to be classified as top secret. Confidential will suffice."
"Yes, my lord." Schwade recorded the orders, had Lorist sign and seal them, then placed them in a silver tube and dispatched a guard on horseback to deliver them.
"Ah, Master Hyde — I actually came to see you about something else." Lorist stopped Master Hyde, who was preparing to take his leave. "Our family's naval battalion was attacked by whales during coastal training. Two training ships were capsized, and the losses were severe. I'm planning to deal with those whales. The shipyard is already building large whaling vessels, but we still need some kind of large crossbow to fight the whales…"
"A large crossbow? My lord, shouldn't you be looking for Master Farin for that?" Master Hyde was puzzled. Master Farin, who ran the crossbow workshop not far away, was the professional expert when it came to crossbow construction.
"Master Farin, heh — he won't do." Lorist shook his head. "Master Farin is indeed skilled at making crossbows, but he's a habitual by-the-book type with no concept of innovation. He's stuck in his ways. So I can't entrust something this important to him, especially given the tight timeline — it needs to be finalized by next spring. I feel much more confident handing this to you, Master Hyde."
Lorist's flattery put Master Hyde in excellent spirits. He smiled and said, "Since my lord thinks so highly of me, I'll give it my best. But I'd like your lordship to have Master Farin assist with my research. With him around, it'll be convenient to consult him if questions arise…"
"Agreed." Lorist turned and issued instructions. "Schwade, go to the crossbow workshop over there and invite Master Farin here. Then take a few guards to the workshop and bring the reserve chariot-mounted steel crossbow and the super crossbow that's stored there…"
"Yes, my lord."
Master Hyde was most interested in the super crossbow and even wanted to test-fire it personally, sending a chill of panic through both Lorist and Master Farin. Even a robust family soldier needed an hour's rest after firing it — for a frail old man like Master Hyde, attempting to test-fire it would have been a death sentence. It wasn't until Lorist ordered a guard to fire a single bolt, with all the violent recoil that entailed, that Master Hyde finally understood this was not something to be trifled with.
"My lord, could you describe the detailed specifications for the large crossbow you want?" Master Hyde asked.
Lorist picked up pen and paper and first sketched a crossbow bolt. Everyone who saw the drawing gasped — it looked savage and razor-sharp. The bolt was three meters long in total, with the arrowhead alone measuring half a meter. It had a three-sided tapered point with three recessed blood grooves running along its faces, followed by three-sided barbs behind the head. Behind the barbs was a ring for attaching cable. The entire bolt was forged from refined iron.
"The large crossbow I need must fire bolts like this one to deal with whales. It needs to be larger than the chariot-mounted steel crossbow to launch such long bolts, but it can't be as massive as the super crossbow — the recoil from firing would be too great, and this is on a ship. The direct-fire range should be between one hundred and one hundred and fifty meters. The bolt must be guaranteed to penetrate deep into the whale's body, and it must maintain its trajectory even when trailing a cable, so the launching force needs to be very powerful…"
Master Hyde studied the requirements Lorist had written on the paper, pondering for quite some time. "All right, my lord, I have a clear picture in my mind. I'll do my best to have this crossbow ready for you within three months."
"Good. I'll leave this matter in your hands, Master Hyde."
…(to be continued.)